Cultivator.



PATENTED MAR. 29, 1904.

E. MILLER.

GULTIVATOR. APPLICATION FILED APR. 1. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

an r-lzftns on. Imam umu MASH NGYON u c Patented March 29, i04t ELI MILLER, or CANTON, OHIO.

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srEcIrioATIon-formin partof Letters Patent No. 755,906, "dated March 29, 1904..

' Application filed April 1, 1903. Serial No. 150,545. (NomodeL) T0 at whom/it may concern.-

Be it knownthat I, ELI MILLER, a citizen of I the United States, residing atflanton', in the. county of Stark and State of Ohio, havehin vented certain newand useful Improvements in Cultivators-of. which the following is a specification.

The inventionrelates to sulky-cultivators;

andthe objects'of the invention are to .pro 'vide a shovel-frame which will,aut6mati'cally raise with the shovels overthe localelevations and can be depressed oni either; -side,- so the shovelswill conform to the local depressions 'in the surface of the soil, and toprovid-e universal shovels which can be used on either side of the cultivator and are reversible. ,end for end, and to attach the shovels on brackets by which they can beadjusted to various inclina-' tions longitudinally. I attain theseobjects by the construction and mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the cultivator with some parts broken away to show the details; Fig. 2, a plan of one head-block; Fig. 3, a section of same on line 3 3, Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a face elevation of a shovel and its bracket connection; Fig. 5, a rear elevation of the same; Fig. 6, a side elevation of the same; Fig. 7, a face view of a shovel-bracket; Fig. 8, a face view of a shovel, and Fig. 9 a perspective view of an edge brace.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

The carriage is preferably made of the arched axle 1, the wheels 2, and the tongue 3, the tongue being connected to the axle by the bars 4 and stayed laterally by the brace 5. The transverse rock-shaft 6 is journaled on the carriage and is operated by the lever 7 and locked by the curved rack 8 and the pawl 9.

The shovel-frame is made of the yoke 10, the lateral arms 11, hinged to the yoke on each side and adjustably supported by the braces 12, the draw-bars 13, which are together connected to the tongue in the middle line of the carriage by the universal joint 14 and the side braces 15. The supporting-rods 16, one on each side,

are pivotally connected above to the arms 17 on the rock-shaft and extend down freely through the aperture 18 in the lugs 19 on the draw-bars, The" coil-springs 20 are located aroundv the supporting-bars above the lugs and extend upward to the collars 21 on the bars, and the coil-springs .22 are similarly locatedaroundthe bars below the lugs and extend; downward to'the collars 23- on. the bars,

which several collars are preferably adjustable onlthe bars whereby the tension of the springs is regulated. The springsare so adjusted and .therock-shaft so turnedb'y the lever that the frame is normally held at a suitable height .f'oritheproper working of the shovels' along the average surface of the soil, and when a stoneor localelevation of the surface is met on either side1 theframe on that side is raised against the action of the upper spring to 'per- -mit the shovels to pass over the obstacleor elevation, after which the spring acts to re. turn the frame to the normal position, and when a local depression is met on either side the driver sitting in the seat 24 can depress the frame on that side against the action of the lower spring by pushing his foot down against the lateral arm, or both sides can be depressed in the same manner, after which by removing the pressure of the foot the frame will be raised to its normal position by the action of the springs. It will be understood that the same results can be accomplished by the use of one set of springs either above or below the lugs and by connecting the ends of these springs to the lugs and collars, whereby the springs would operate one way by compression and the other way by tension; but I prefer to use two sets of springs, as illustrated.

The head-block 25 is adjustably attached on the lateral arms 11, and in the headblocks are rotatably mounted the shovel shanks 26. These shanks are preferably provided with the ratchet-wheel sections 27,which are locked by means of the spring-retained ratchet-blocks 28 and 29. The brackets 30 are attached on the lower ends of the shanks by means of the pivotal bolts 31 through the apertures 32 and by the adjusting-bolts 33 through either of the apertures 34,whereby the brackets can be turned on their pivotal-bolts to various angles to carry the shovels at various inclinations, as shown by broken lines in Fig. 4. This adjustment is desirable so the forward UNITED STATES PATENT "OFFICE. 1

ends of the shovels can be depressed for'better cutting and handling hard ground or so the forward ends can be elevated for better working sod-ground or soil containing cornstalks or other similar obstacles. The shovels are formed in outline as a cylindric section and arehorizontally straight and vertically curved. The shovels are attached on the similarlycurved concave faces 36 on the lower parts of the brackets by means of the central bolts 37 The edge braces 38 are attached on the brackets by the bolts 39 through the slotted braceapertures 40 and the bracket-apertures 41, whereby the braces can always be adjusted to butt against the upper edges of the shovels to stay and support them. By this form of construction and manner of attachment a shovel can be turned end for end on the same bracket when one edge becomes worn, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 8, to bring into use the diametrically opposite edge, and it can also be transferred to a bracket on the opposite side of the cultivator to bring into use the intervening edges. At the same time the adjustable edge brace can be brought against the upper edge of the shovel, however irregularly the edge may be worn. The shovels are made considerably larger than the body of the brackets, so there is always presented in front and below a sharp cutting edge or blade, and as a result when the shovel strikes a lump or clod of earth it cuts or pulverizes the same instead of pushing or rolling it to one side or on top of the soil.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a cultivator-carriage, a shovel-frame pivotally attached at its forward end to the carriage in the middle line by a universal joint, and spring-supports on each side suspending the frame from the carriage, the springs acting to resist the elevation and depression respectively of the frame.

2. The combination of a cultivator-carriage, a shovel-frame pivotally attached at its forward end to the carriage in the middle line by a universal joint, and spring-supports on each side suspending the frame from the carriage, the springs acting to resist the depression of the frame.

3. In a cultivator, a bracket having a vertically-curved concave face, asimilarly-curved shovel attached on the curved face, and an adjustable brace on the bracket fitting against the upper edge of the shovel.

4:. In a cultivator, a bracket having a horizontally-straight and verticallycurved concave face, and a similarly shaped shovel formed in outline as a cylindric section, centrally attached thereon, the convex side of the shovel joining the concave face of the bracket.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ELI MILLER. Witnesses:

HARRY FREAsE, FRED HEIM. 

